Download or read book Referendums and Representative Democracy written by Maija Setälä and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2009-09-10 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume analyses how the use of referendums affects the central functions and characteristics of representative democracy. It provides a balanced account of the interaction between referendums and representative institutions and actors, seeking to evaluate whether referendums supplement or undermine representative democracy. Considering both normative and empirical questions, the volume also examines the particular circumstances under which referendums strengthen or weaken representative democracy. Providing a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches used in the study of referendums, this book is divided into three sections: Referendums and the Models of Democracy, The Demand of Referendums: Party Ideologies and Strategies, and Referendum Campaigns and Voter Behaviour. It features case studies on Ireland, Israel, Canada, California, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, the Nordic Countries, the Netherlands, Spain and the EU Constitutional Treaty. In addition to system-level evaluations of referendums, studies on the ideological attitudes of political actors and strategic use of referendums, the volume also provides analyses of referendum campaigns and voters’ choices in referendums. Covering referendums on European integration, the volume also demonstrates how supra-national governance gives rise to the demand of referendums. This volume will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, political theory, comparative politics, and European studies.
Download or read book Referendums as Representative Democracy written by Leah Trueblood and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-04-18 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In referendums on fundamental constitutional issues, do the people come together to make decisions instead of representatives? This book argues no. It offers an alternative theory of referendums whereby they are one of many ordinary ways that voters give direction to their representatives. In this way, the book argues that referendums are better understood as exercises in representative democracy. The book challenges the current treatment of referendums in processes of constitutional change both in the UK and around the world. It argues that referendums have been used under the banner of popular sovereignty in a way that undermines representative institutions. This book makes the case for the use of referendums stronger by showing how they can support, rather than undermine, institutions of representative democracy. Understanding referendums as exercises in representative democracy has broader implications for constitutional democracy as well. Rather than see the power to constitute constitutions as something that happens occasionally in exceptional moments through referendums, this book argues instead that voters constantly have the power to constitute and reconstitute their constitutions.
Download or read book The Routledge Handbook to Referendums and Direct Democracy written by Laurence Morel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-12-12 with total page 710 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last 30 years referendums have played an increasingly important role in determining government policy. Recent high profile referendums in Scotland, Catalonia and Ukraine have continued the movement towards independence referendums following decolonization and the end of the Cold War. The Greek bailout referendum and Britain’s vote on membership of the EU reflect a tradition of European states giving their people a direct say in the transfer of sovereign powers to the European Union seen through the ratification of key treaties such as Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon. This Routledge Handbook covers key aspects and issues of direct democracy and referendums throughout the world including: •their history; •when, why, where, how and on which issues referendums are held; •why some referendums are more democratic than others; •how referendums are won; •whether they produce good policies; •if referendums increase participation and improve the quality of representative democracies; •do referendums increase trust in democracy and the political actors; •the impact of new technology on the possibilities, methods and frequency of direct public political participation; •how they should be regulated. Covering other related areas such as recall, citizen juries and random selection, this compendium is an indispensable guide to referendums and the workings of modern democracy.
Download or read book Direct Democracy written by Thomas E. Cronin and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 1999 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Referendum Democracy written by M. Mendelsohn and published by Springer. This book was released on 2001-09-25 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the referendum becomes a more regular component of decision making, it leaves few, if any, institutions, processes and values of democracy untouched. Political actors of all kinds - including political parties and interest groups - seek to use the referendum device to further their own objectives. The end result is a different kind of democracy than existed before. This book lays out the comparative research agenda on the impact of referendums on the practice of liberal democracy.
Download or read book Government by All the People Or written by Delos Franklin Wilcox and published by . This book was released on 1912 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Politics of Referendum Use in European Democracies written by Saskia Hollander and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book demonstrates that the generally assumed dichotomy between referendums and representative democracy does not do justice to the great diversity of referendum types and of how referendums are used in European democracies. Although in all referendums citizens vote directly on issues rather than letting their political representatives do this for them, some referendums are more direct than others. Rather than reflecting the direct power of the People, most referendums in EU countries are held by, and serve the interests of, the political elites, most notably the executive. The book shows that these interests rarely match the justifications given in the public debate. Instead of being driven by the need to compensate for the deficiency of political parties, decision-makers use referendums primarily to protect the position of their party. In unravelling the strategic role played by national referendums in decision-making, this book makes an unconventional contribution to the debate on the impact of referendums on democracy.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Political Representation in Liberal Democracies written by Robert Rohrschneider and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-07-28 with total page 731 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook of Political Representation in Liberal Democracies offers a state-of-the-art assessment of the functioning of political representation in liberal democracies. In 34 chapters the world's leading scholars on the various aspects of political representation address eight broad themes: The concept and theories of political representation, its history and the main requisites for its development; elite orientations and behavior; descriptive representation; party government and representation; non-electoral forms of political participation and how they relate to political representation; the challenges to representative democracy originating from the growing importance of non-majoritarian institutions and social media; the rise of populism and its consequences for the functioning of representative democracy; the challenge caused by economic and political globlization: what does it mean for the functioning of political representation at the national leval and is it possible to develop institutions of representative democracy at a level above the state that meet the normative criteria of representative democracy and are supported by the people? The various chapters offer a comprehensive review of the literature on the various aspects of political representation. The main organizing principle of the Handbook is the chain of political representation, the chain connecting the interests and policy preferences of the people to public policy via political parties, parliament, and government. Most of the chapters assessing the functioning of the chain of political representation and its various links are based on original comparative political research. Comparative research on political representation and its various subfields has developed dramatically over the last decades so that even ten years ago a Handbook like this would have looked totally different.
Download or read book The Referendum written by Kris William Kobach and published by Dartmouth Publishing Company. This book was released on 1993 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explores the impact of frequent referendums on the Swiss political system. Various institutions evolved to cope with the repeated challenging of government decisions in the arena of direct democracy. This study identifies phenomena which may occur in politics that use referenda less often.
Download or read book Referendums Around the World written by David Butler and published by American Enterprise Institute. This book was released on 1994 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated edition of : Referendums. c1978.
Download or read book Referendums and Democratic Government written by Maija Setälä and published by Springer. This book was released on 1999-04-29 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Referendums and Democratic Government is the most systematic analysis of the referendum so far. The referendum phenomenon is approached from different perspectives: social choice theory, theories of democracy, a comparative study on 22 democracies, and in-depth case studies of Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland. The referendum is not a unitary phenomenon but it serves various functions and different normative goals in the political systems studied. This variation may largely be explained by the differences in the initiating and agenda-setting procedures.
Download or read book Do referendums enhance or threaten democracy written by Birte Müller-Heidelberg and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2003-12-03 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essay from the year 2003 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: B, University of Bath (European Studies and Modern Languages), language: English, abstract: In some countries, the Euro has been established without consulting the citizens. Discussions on whether this has been a fair and fully legal step made by elected representatives in a democracy or whether people should have been asked before passing such a major reform are ongoing. The convent has come up with a first proposal for a European Constitution. While several countries are preparing their referendums on it, Germany’s chancellor Gerhard Schröder simply stated, he is against a referendum – no reasons given. Switzerland uses referendums as a regular instrument to let people decide about single political issues. Countries as Sweden and Denmark use them at least once in a while. Others, such as Germany, have never had a referendum in their history. Although these differences between nation states are obvious, there has been a revival of the idea of referendums as an instrument of direct democracy in the last decades. In some states used, in others only discussed, referendums are a topic again. This essay analyses the question whether referendums enhance or threaten democracy by taking a closer look at the pro and contra arguments used in the literature, essays and newspaper articles through which sociologists fight their battle about the subject. After pointing out some of the reasons for the current rise of referendums in general (2), chapter 3 will deal with the chances (3.1) and dangers (3.2) of referendums. This analysis will lead to a conclusion and judgement of referendums (4). In chapter 5, a short outlook will be given on the function of referendums in the ever closer European Union.
Download or read book Citizenship and Contemporary Direct Democracy written by David Altman and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers a comparative study of the origins, performance, and reform of contemporary mechanisms of direct democracy.
Download or read book A Constitution of Direct Democracy written by Michael N Mautner, Ph. D. and published by Legacy Books. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All people share the basic needs of survival and the social drives embedded in human nature. Survival demands sustenance, safety and procreation; and the social drives demand dignity, justice and freedom. These shared values emerge when the common will is distilled from the diverse wills of people. Where this communal wisdom governs, human dignity will be honored and our survival will be secure. This book describes a system of pure democracy where all major decision are done through referendums and statistically meaningful public opinion polls. The policies are then executed by expert agencies with oversight from public policy panels. The book also describes transition to Direct Democracy through Representatives pledged to "I shall vote in Congress or Parliament according to the instructions of my constituents."
Download or read book Democracy on demand written by Matt Qvortrup and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Direct democracy makes you richer. Research shows that the average citizen earns nearly a $1000 for every referendum held, and that a strong correlation exists between the frequency of referendums and a GDP per capita. Referendums can also improve the quality of democracy. So why don’t we see more? Drawing on a three decades of research, Qvortrup presents a definitive statement on the benefits and history referendums, including examples of how this instrument of democracy has been both utilised and abused. The book outlines the history of referendums, explains when politicians have submitted issues to the voters, why these votes have been won or lost - and ultimately why it matters. Uniquely, the book also examines the role of social media in referendum campaigns and make suggestions for improving the process of direct democracy Written in a lucid style by one of the world’s leading experts on referendums, Democracy on demand is a timely reminder of the importance of democracy in our politics, offering new insights into how direct democracy can both improve our lives and at the same time strengthen our societies.
Download or read book Demanding Choices written by Shaun Bowler and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2000-12-21 with total page 213 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DIVReferenda are becoming a more common way to resolve heated political questions. This book shows how voters make choices in referenda /div
Download or read book Bringing in the People written by Markku Suksi and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2024-02-26 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The referendum is not a monolithic method of national decision making. There are a multitude of referendum forms which exist under varying constitutional conditions and operate in different ways. A global comparison shows that more than half the constitutions of the world provide for the referendum at a national level, but referendums are also carried out without explicit constitutional support. Two main forms of referendum can be observed, the mandatory constitutional referendum and the policy vote. This book argues that the referendum does not undermine representative decision making, but supplements it in various ways: the referendum is not diametrically opposed to representative government, and when properly designed and used, the institution of the referendum can enhance the legitimacy of a constitutional and political system. This book is the first comprehensive constitutional and comparative analysis of the referendum. It offers illuminating and intriguing reading for all those interested in national decision making.
